![]() ![]() The new Americans I was addressing were surely optimists by default about “the new world order.” I was an optimist myself, and I didn’t want to kill the buzz. Fukuyama hadn’t yet postponed the “end of history.” The war in Yugoslavia had not yet happened. What would you say today to the “new Americans” gathered at a naturalization ceremony?ĪNDREI CODRESCU: Today, I would sound cautionary notes: “You can remake America in the shape of what you want it to be, provided you leave your tribal resentments behind you, and watch your back.” At that time, I couldn’t see how previous generations of immigrants might not be exactly thrilled by newcomers. Truth seems to be negotiable now, and facts are politically charged. Or rather, we seem to live in different Americas: a red America and a blue one, an America where 2+2 makes 4 and another one where 2+2 sometimes adds up to 5. We live in a different America now, one defined by hyper-polarization, anger, and mistrust. Now it’s your turn.” This was almost 30 years ago. Every generation of new immigrants remakes America in the shape of what they imagine it to be. You said: “America is an idea in our minds. Toward the end of the movie, you spoke eloquently to a group of “new Americans” at a naturalization ceremony about what it means to be an American. AURELIAN CRAIUTU: Andrei, in 1993, your movie Road Scholar was released, along with the book of the same title. ![]()
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